Purple Sue is a Welsh sculptor, passionate about making and constructing. The environment and location is key to the materials and media chosen. Sue loves recycling and upcycling and believes in the importance of sustainability. A sense of playfulness and quirkiness is a recurrent theme too.
This is a selection of sculptures/projects created over a 35 year period.
Sue’s childhood was spent in North Wales, surrounded by beautiful colours, smells and forms found in nature. Her formative years were heavily influenced by her rather lovely, eccentric parents. Mother always growing and cooking and Father designing and making.
Sue procured a place in London Central St Martins, beginning a lifelong passion for sculpture and obtaining a BA/Hons in Fine Art Sculpture in 1986. It was during this time she acquired purple hair, her friends aptly named her Purple Sue and still do…..
The next several years were spent living and experiencing London life. Learning new skills which led to interior design and decorating and various sculpture/ restoration projects. Again this passion for sculpture and colour took her far and wide, attending conferences in Helsinki and Oslo.
By the early nineties Sue was ready to do a Masters and ended up in The Royal College of Art Sculpture School getting the Henry Moore scholarship in her final year and obtaining her Masters in 1994.
After a period of time teaching and lecturing on Colour in Further Education, Sue was invited to Mexico City to University Iberoamericana for a 6 month research and teaching position about the use of colour in 3 dimensions and the cultural differences. An experience never forgotten.
A decision was made to return to Wales and her childhood home. All things to do with nature came flooding back. It was then that she met Jules, a medical herbalist and together they crazily thought that they could apply to the RHS Tatton Flower Show to design and build a Back to Back garden for 2007. They did and received a bronze medal….
In 2008 Sue was invited back to Tatton to make a Show feature. A giant scarecrow named William, inspired by her Taid (Welsh for grandfather) gained her a commendation.
The next decade was spent growing willow and herbs and making smaller animal and bird sculptures and upcycling and selling in County shows, Farmers and Christmas Markets.
RHS Cardiff Flower Show wanted a very large daffodil sculpture for the entrance in 2011. It was around 13′ and certainly caused a few smiles…..
Some of Sue’s most recent Sculptures are to be seen in Studio Cennen in FFairfach on the outskirts of Llandeilo.
It’s a collaboration between Odyn Ddu Ceramics, a college friend from Central St Martins in London. Surprisingly she is living just around the corner.
They are vessels to hold water for the creatures in the garden.
It’s taken some time along with life’s rich tapestry to start making sculpture again but now it’s finally happening….
Living in North Pembrokeshire has changed Sue’s approach to making. The Elements, landscape, Seasons and Sea have caused Sue to re evaluate how and what she creates. Colour form and movement and the fusion of metal with other natural material is her inspiration.
Purple Sue is Welsh through and through. This is why she lives and makes in Wales.
For any enquiries or to commission work please contact me.